Thursday night will see the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. The last meeting between the two teams was on December 11, where the Thunder scored the 134-120 win. Utah has better momentum entering the upcoming matchup. They are tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the longest active winning streak at six games. Meanwhile, the Thunder are coming off consecutive losses against the LA Lakers and LA Clippers. Utah is 22-20 on the season and are in the ninth place in the Western Conference, while OKC is in the second place with a 27-13 record.
Preview
The Jazz have looked very different since their resurgence following the loss on December 11 to the Thunder. Since then, they boast a 15-4 record, the second-best record behind the table leading Boston Celtics. They have a 120.9 offensive and 113.9 defensive rating in that span. The Jazz ranked in the bottom five in offense and defense before December 12. Meanwhile, the Thunder have been nearly as consistent as the Celtics and West-leading Minnesota Timberwolves. They are fourth on the offense rating and ninth on defense.
Starting lineups
Both the Thunder and Jazz have no players on their injury list, leading to the upcoming game. They are expected to start his usual starting lineup. The Thunder will start with Josh Giddy, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Luguentz Dort and Chet Holmgren. The Jazz will have Kris Dunn, Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins and Simon Fontecchio.
Betting tips & Prediction
Thunder’s shooting guard Shai-Gilgeous Alexander is over/under by 31.5 points. That’s slightly above his season average of 31 points. He has scored 24 and 19 points, respectively, in his last two games. Alexander is averaging 30.4 points per game over his last nine games. Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen has an over/under of 24.5 points. He has scored more than 25 points in three of his last four games. Betting on him to score more than 24.5 points could be a great bet. Chet Holmgren has an over-under of 2.5 blocks. Despite averaging 2.5 blocks per game this season, he is not favored to go over it.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are favored to win against the Utah Jazz but not by a large margin. The game is expected to be close. The Thunder have not lost three consecutive games, while the Jazz are 6-0. OKC also enters the upcoming game with a healthy roster, which gives them a great chance to win.
